Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, October 26, 2026

Gospel

Luke 13:10-17

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.

And a woman was there who for eighteen years

had been crippled by a spirit;

she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.

When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,

“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”

He laid his hands on her,

and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.

But the leader of the synagogue,

indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,

said to the crowd in reply,

“There are six days when work should be done.

Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”

The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites!

Does not each one of you on the sabbath

untie his ox or his ass from the manger

and lead it out for watering?

This daughter of Abraham,

whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,

ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day

from this bondage?”

When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;

and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

Reflection

In today’s Gospel, Jesus points out to the crowd how they are focused on the wrong things. While the leader of the synagogue is more concerned with Jesus healing on the Sabbath, Jesus sees a woman who has suffered for eighteen years and recognizes her need for freedom. Jesus is not dismissing the Sabbath, but challenges the leader’s narrow use of it and shows the woman compassion in the process.

This can relate to today when we become so focused on schedules, rules, or doing things the “right” way that we overlook someone who needs our help. Maybe we are too busy to stop and check on a friend who is struggling, or we hesitate to help someone because it is inconvenient or outside our responsibilities. This Gospel reminds us that religious observance should not become an excuse for withholding mercy. We are called to honor God not only in how we worship, but also in the compassion we show to people in need.